A variety of devices are known to exist for coupling pipes together ranging from standard fittings to adhesives. A fitting must provide good connectability, and, depending on the application, access to other pipe components and adequate pressure resistance. Thus, for example, a siphon or overflow box of the type commonly used for aquariums ideally would be made from pipes and fittings that are economical to make, easy to assemble, simple to disassemble for cleaning, and adequately well connected to resist any leaks resulting from the large volume of water constantly moving through these apparatuses. However, most siphons or overflow boxes today are made from injection molded or assembled pieces of flat material that are relatively expensive to manufacture and are not easy to disassemble or clean.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,227 issued to Willinger et al. discloses a “overflow box-type” aquarium filter that includes an intake chamber for receiving contaminated aquarium water from the aquarium tank and a filter chamber in flow communication with the intake chamber. An impeller serves to draw water from the aquarium tank to the intake chamber through a removable intake U-tube. Upon stoppage of the impeller, the flow of water reverses and flows back into the aquarium tank. While this device may be suitable for its particular purpose, it is unnecessarily complicated and requires that the impeller stops before too much water is drawn into the filter chamber such that overflow occurs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,728,293 by Guoli et al. discloses a filter assembly that has a generally U-shaped siphon tube that has telescopic legs and a flow regulator that provide for flow between the filter assembly and the aquarium tank. While the U-shaped siphon tube is removable from both the filter area and tank for cleaning, the flow regulator and removable legs make this siphon relatively complex to manufacture and increase the risk that a part of the siphon will be lost or broken from disassembly and handling.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,478 to Zopfi discloses a plastic joint construction wherein one piping element has a smooth, plain spigot or cylindrical male end; and a second piping element has a female end receiving said male end and having an inner length portion with an inside diameter tapering inwardly from a size slightly larger than the outside diameter of said male end so that it as a substantially cylindrical socket circumferentially snugly receives the male end. The sealing means of Zopfi, however, require a pliable annular thin ribbon-bodied gasket having a plurality of at least three integral pliable internal annular gripping fins axially spaced on the inner circumference of the female end.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,305, to Kistenich, et al, discloses a pipe joint for connecting pipes made of non-shrinkable plastics, preferably polybutene, comprising a sleeve body which has a tapered inside surf ace facing the pipe end and mating the outside surf ace of the pipe end. The joint of Kistenich, however, is made by the action of a heating element embedded in the sleeve body to produce heat on the joint-forming region.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,466, to Weise, discloses a bubble jet fitting for use in a spa providing for a lay-length short enough to allow its installation within a six-inch dam wall having an outlet portion which in one use provides for solvent welding within a standard size of PVC pipe.
Hence, it would be useful to have a receptacle for an inverted U-shaped pipe fitting with an opening at the top that a common person with limited skills will be able assemble with common plumbing pipe and fittings, thus providing an economical and easy way to create a siphon apparatus.